Scientists have concluded that the short bursts of gamma rays seen originating in several areas of the sky every day are the result of colliding heavy
bodies such as neutron stars, or in some cases, a neutron star and a black hole. This conclusion solves a thirty-five year mystery. In the past,
these fleeting events have been impossible to study, but new technology has now shed new light on this intriguing subject. It is theorized that a
nearby Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) could cause mass extinctions on earth.
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The most intense explosions in the universe come in two varieties. One type lasts several seconds, and the others are gone in less than a second.
Until now, astronomers had not pinned down the sources of the short-duration bursts.
New observations show convincingly that they are created by collisions of two very dense objects, likely neutron stars or a neutron star and a black
hole, as theory had predicted.
The results solve a 35-year-old mystery.
The explosions are called gamma-ray bursts, or GRBs. Several are recorded every day, coming from all directions of the sky.
Most originate in the very distant universe. One nearby could trigger a mass extinction on Earth.
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If one takes the time to follow the links in the article, which I will provide below, one can see that the combined effects of our sun and and these
GRBs affect our lives in ways that many of us are unaware. Even the shape of our ionosphere can be changed by these events. Also, Einstein's
calculations predicted that when such events occur that gravitational waves would occur. Efforts are underway now to detect such waves. It is
amazing that events one billion light year away can effect us here on earth. It makes our own existence seem so minuscule in comparison.
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Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
The hunt for cosmic blasts' secret 
